Are both MCA and Gerakan fit enough to talk about Press Freedom?
Recently, when the Penang state government issued a circular barring journalists from both Utusan Melayu and New Straits Times (NST), both Umno-owned newspapers, MCA and Gerakan are quick to hit back saying that the state government preaches about press freedom but does not practice it at all.
The question here is, are both MCA and Gerakan fit enough to talk about press freedom? Both Utusan and NST has been publishing racial and hatred views, articles and other false accusations against the opposition leaders in their newspapers. In this case, did Utusan and NST give fair political views? The simple question here is why didn't both MCA and Gerakan speak up when Utusan and NST spewed so much racial hatred and their dailies to disunite Malaysians.
Penang MCA advisor Koay Kah Huah sharply condemned the state government for a number of measures barring journalists from Utusan and NST from covering the state's events and functions, while Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow said that the state government and chief minister Lim Guan Eng are not media friendly.
Both Koay and Teng had demonstrated their hypocritical stand on this issue. If both MCA and Gerakan are really looking seriously at promoting press freedom, why didn't they speak up when Malaysiakini journalists were barred from all Umno meetings and functions. Why didn't MCA come up in defense of the Star's veteran editors when they were systematically suspended for two weeks, as demanded by the home ministry, over a report which portrayed a western singer with the Allah tattoos on her body?
What about political ownership of media groups and media control via permits as required under the Printing Presses and Publications Act? The national mainstream medias blackouts on several issues related to public interests and the nation at large? Journalists being systematically round up at the Bersih 3.0 rally and had their cameras seized.
We also want to know if Koay and Teng agreed with home affairs minister and Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein suggestion that seizing journalists' cameras and the other equipment was the police standard operation procedures (SOP).
Actually, Utusan and NST do not deserve the calling of "press" or even "independent" as their tag because they do not practice the real ethics of the professional media in the first place. False reporting and twisting the facts, making accusations, publishing reports and views which are promoting hatred to disunite our people, advance racism, condemning other religions and a lot more. Can the Utusan and NST editors tell us that if all such actions are professional or ethical journalism? Even a child would describe your actions are terribly wrong and unethical.
We urge MCA and Gerakan to look at themselves on the mirror first before they state their uneven stand on some issues instead of just simply trying to be a champion out of nothing.
The question here is, are both MCA and Gerakan fit enough to talk about press freedom? Both Utusan and NST has been publishing racial and hatred views, articles and other false accusations against the opposition leaders in their newspapers. In this case, did Utusan and NST give fair political views? The simple question here is why didn't both MCA and Gerakan speak up when Utusan and NST spewed so much racial hatred and their dailies to disunite Malaysians.
Penang MCA advisor Koay Kah Huah sharply condemned the state government for a number of measures barring journalists from Utusan and NST from covering the state's events and functions, while Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow said that the state government and chief minister Lim Guan Eng are not media friendly.
Both Koay and Teng had demonstrated their hypocritical stand on this issue. If both MCA and Gerakan are really looking seriously at promoting press freedom, why didn't they speak up when Malaysiakini journalists were barred from all Umno meetings and functions. Why didn't MCA come up in defense of the Star's veteran editors when they were systematically suspended for two weeks, as demanded by the home ministry, over a report which portrayed a western singer with the Allah tattoos on her body?
What about political ownership of media groups and media control via permits as required under the Printing Presses and Publications Act? The national mainstream medias blackouts on several issues related to public interests and the nation at large? Journalists being systematically round up at the Bersih 3.0 rally and had their cameras seized.
We also want to know if Koay and Teng agreed with home affairs minister and Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein suggestion that seizing journalists' cameras and the other equipment was the police standard operation procedures (SOP).
Actually, Utusan and NST do not deserve the calling of "press" or even "independent" as their tag because they do not practice the real ethics of the professional media in the first place. False reporting and twisting the facts, making accusations, publishing reports and views which are promoting hatred to disunite our people, advance racism, condemning other religions and a lot more. Can the Utusan and NST editors tell us that if all such actions are professional or ethical journalism? Even a child would describe your actions are terribly wrong and unethical.
We urge MCA and Gerakan to look at themselves on the mirror first before they state their uneven stand on some issues instead of just simply trying to be a champion out of nothing.
